Last night was the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and for the third year in a row, it ended in a tie. Eleven year-old Nihar Janga and Jairam Hathwar, 13, tied to share the highest honor in spelling after Janga nailed "gesellschaft" and Hathwar got through "Feldenkrais." At this point in the competition, the list of words had been exhausted and co-champions were declared.
This was Janga's first year at the Bee. Hathwar's brother Sriram was co-champion at the 2014 Bee.
Of course, half the fun of the Bee is the drama of the competition, and this year didn't disappoint. Between the dab, an Adele reference, and a few other lighthearted antics, this year's Bee was full of moments nearly designed to go viral.
Still, silliness aside, the competition was fierce and nail-biting. Janga could have clinched a solo victory twice, but tripped up on spelling "ayacahuite" and "tetradrachm," meaning the competition would continue.
Despite the fact that Bee organizers had changed the rules to attempt to prevent ties after the back-to-back tie finishes of the 2014 and 2015 bees, the list of championship words was no match for Hathwar and Janga. The two competed for nearly three full hours.
Perhaps the most talked-about moments at the Bee were Janga's antics. After clapping in Hathwar's face when he missed a word...
"Are there any alternate pronunciations for 'pack your bags, you're going home?'" #spellingbee https://t.co/GqSWfOxvPJ
— Jason Sparks (@sparksjls) May 27, 2016
The Texas native threw up the "X" (reminiscent of Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant) to celebrate his victory.
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ICE COLD #spellingbee pic.twitter.com/OUM617KpvX
— Sports on Earth (@SportsonEarth) May 27, 2016
Bryant approved.
#NiharJanga you just made my whole day buddy.. Congrats on winning the #spellingbee champ.. Some how some way I have to get you to a game #x
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) May 27, 2016
Off the stage, the Scripps official Twitter account was having quite a bit of fun. Their correction of a troll's attempt to mock the Bee went viral and the user eventually deactivated their account.
This is cold-blooded. pic.twitter.com/TiIQ5MYn3s
— Eli Langer (@EliLanger) May 27, 2016
Next year's Bee will be held in late May.
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